Splash Back by John Holman

 

A Little Rain...and a REALLY Big El Niño? August 15, 2026

This Splashback will be a bit longer than usual. I've uncovered some interesting material...so bear with me please. July finally brought some precipitation back to the Upper Bear Basin after an exceptionally dry late spring and early summer. The rain was welcome, but it was not enough to erase the moisture deficit that developed after the snowpack disappeared unusually early this year. The Upper Bear Basin received approximately 1.7 inches of precipitation during July, about 200% of normal for the month. That was a clear improvement over June, when the Basin received only about 0.6 inches, roughly 43% of normal. By August 1, water-year precipitation had improved to approximately 97% of the 1991–2020 median, compared with about 90% at the beginning of July.

Precipitation Upper Bear Basin The graph below shows the YTD precipitation of the Upper Bear Basin. Although we are at 97% of median we had a very dry June 2026.

So July appears to have stopped the deterioration rather than reversed it. The additional moisture moved the Basin somewhat closer to normal for the water year, but we still entered August with a cumulative precipitation deficit. The timing of the rain is also important. Our mountain snowpack melted away roughly a month earlier than normal this year. July rain helps soil moisture, vegetation and may temporarily reduce irrigation demand, but it cannot replace the slow release of water from a mountain snowpack that normally supports Bear River flows into late spring and early summer. As I reported last month, despite reasonably good total precipitation earlier in the water year, the very dry April-through-June period combined with the early snowmelt left streamflows throughout the Upper Bear Basin very low.

Bear Lake Continues to Fall Bear Lake continued its summer decline during July. The lake was approximately 5914.76 ft on July 1 and [5913.4 ft on August 1, a decline of about 16 inches during the month. The lake began falling in mid-May as snowmelt runoff ended and water was released for downstream irrigation. By July, inflow from the Bear River into Bear Lake was essentially zero. Last month's Splashback reported a lake elevation of 5914.38 ft on July 10. A July decline of roughly 16 inches is large but not out of the ordinary the past 4-5 years. The rate of decline should begin to slow as we move toward the end of the irrigation season, but where the lake bottoms out this fall will determine how much stored water we carry into the next water year.

Bear Lake Car Meet

 

Rich 21 Gunnison 14 as reported by Deseret News

 

• Rich — (5:38 1Q) Nash Parry, 7-yard pass from Brady Cornia (kick from Paxton Nicolodemos)
• Gunnison Valley — (6:07 2Q) Kyle Keith, 2-yard run (kick successful)
• Rich — (0:52 2Q) Max Weston, 28-yard pass from Paxton Nicolodemos (kick from Paxton Nicolodemos)
• Rich — (6:15 4Q) Porter O'Mealy, 4-yard run (kick from Paxton Nicolodemos)
• Gunnison Valley — (5:48 4Q) Brody Knudsen, 80-yard pass from Kyle Keith (kick from Gavin Willden)

Rushing

Woodruff Town Board Meeting

 

               
Date:  August 18, 2026               Time:  5:00 p.m.                                     
Location:  Town Hall________
	Items to Be Discussed	
 1	Request to Speak - Chris Schulthess	
 2	Follow up from previous meetings	
 3	Approval of minutes from July meeting	
 4	Approval of August bills	
 5	Review and initial bank statements/credit card statement/monthly reports	
 6	Other board concerns	
 7		
 8		
 9		
10		
11		
12		
13		
14		
	Assignments	
 1		

Bear Lake State Park

 Chance T-storms

Low Temp:52° F

High Temp:89° F

Water Level:5912.95′

Ice Conditions / Thickness:

More Conditions Information

Live Water Temperature 73 degrees

73° F

Notes from the Rich County Commission Aug. 5th, 2026 by Bess Huefner

 

(Look on you tube for more information)

Sunrise Engineering’s services for their GSI seem to be running great. The Commissioners will review their contract each year. The cost is about $20k for 3 years.

New Business license was issued to Andrew Berry for his company: Bear Lake Service Care LLC. This company will serve Rich County residents with non-medical needs such as companionship/meal prep/light housekeeping, etc.

Brian Gardiner applied for a business license to open a new restaurant, Blue Bayou, located across from Epic on 2520 Bear Lake Blvd. They plan to open May 2027.

Kim Wilson presented the costs of running ambulances in Rich County. The call out cost is $1200 with $35 a mile. There are approximately 120 call outs per year. There is no charge for non-transport. A The Commissioners approved a $ 150 increase for call outs and $5 increase per mile. (This would be a good time for each family to find out what their insurance will pay for them in case of emergencies).

The Woodruff Creek Irrigation board of directors brought a signed affidavit to accept the NRCS plan for protecting the watershed. This is only for planning and the NRCS pays for this part. The NRCS rewrote the contract to change the 100 year agreement to 50 years. Rich County lawyer, Ben Willoughby reviewed the contract and felt that due diligence had been served. The County Commissioners act as a pass-through entity where supposedly they have no financial input.

Steve Talbot, director of Rich County Sanitation, is looking to hire more workers.

Rich County Economic Development Funds Support Local Businesses-Nikki Weston, Chair

 Each year, the State of Utah provides funding to rural counties to support economic development. In Rich County, the county commissioners have appointed the Rich County Economic Development Board to help guide the use of these funds.

 The board includes a representative from each town in the county, along with representatives from a local government entity and Workforce Services. The board reviews applications and makes recommendations to the Rich County Commission, which makes the final funding decisions.

 In 2026, Rich County received $200,000 in economic development funding. The majority of the funds were awarded to small businesses throughout the community. Public safety and infrastructure projects were also considered as part of the funding process.

 BRAG (Bear River Association of Governments) and the Bear Lake Regional Commission are contracted to administer the program. Applications opened shortly after the first of the year, and funding awards were made in April. A primary emphasis of the program was on creating or increasing year-round employment opportunities in Rich County. 

Businesses receiving funding have until November to submit documentation for reimbursement.

 Applications for the 2027 Small Business Grant Program are expected to open in November, provided the State of Utah maintains funding at a level similar to last year. 

Rich County businesses are encouraged to watch for the application period and take advantage of this opportunity to invest in their businesses and strengthen our local economy.